Roberto DaSilva facts for kids

Roberto "Bob" DaSilva is an American politician. He is the very first elected Mayor of East Providence, Rhode Island. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Before becoming Mayor, he was a State Representative for District 63 in the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 2009 to 2013.

Bob DaSilva became the first Mayor of East Providence because of a vote in 2017. This vote changed how the city was run. Before, a "city manager" and a city council made decisions. The person called "Mayor" was just a ceremonial role chosen by the council. Now, the Mayor is elected by the people of East Providence and is the main leader of the city government. This new system is like how other big cities in Rhode Island, such as Providence, Cranston, and Warwick, are run. DaSilva's family comes from the Azores.

Serving in the Rhode Island Legislature

DaSilva was elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives in 2008. He served there from 2009 to 2013.

Important Laws and Committees

During his first time in the House, he worked on committees that dealt with labor and city government. In his second term, he joined the House Judiciary Committee, which handles legal matters. While in the legislature, DaSilva worked to create stronger laws against domestic violence. He also supported closing a loophole in some laws and pushed for full-day kindergarten.

DaSilva sometimes disagreed with the leaders of his own Democratic Party. For example, he was one of the few Democratic lawmakers who voted against changes to state pensions. These changes were supported by future Governor Gina Raimondo. Some people thought this showed he was too close to labor unions.

Helping Children and Families

Representative DaSilva was a strong supporter of making changes to the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF). This department helps children and families in need.

Running for State Senate

DaSilva decided not to run for the House of Representatives again in 2012. Instead, he ran for a State Senate seat. He ran against Senator Daniel Da Ponte. DaSilva lost the election by a very small number of votes.

Time Away from Politics

After the 2012 election, DaSilva took a break from politics for six years. During this time, he volunteered in his community. He also became a captain in the Pawtucket Police Department. He founded the East Providence Youth Soccer Association and was its first President.

Becoming Mayor in 2018

In August 2017, DaSilva announced he would run for Mayor of East Providence. His first campaign event was the next month. In April 2018, the East Providence Democratic City Committee supported his campaign.

DaSilva's opponent in the election was James Russo. Russo had worked for the city as a lawyer and for a former congressman.

In November 2018, DaSilva won the election. He received 52.2% of the votes. News reports said that the race for Mayor was friendly. Both candidates agreed on many important issues for the city. These included developing the waterfront, lowering taxes, and fixing roads.

Mayor of East Providence

Starting the Job

After winning the election, DaSilva announced his choices for city judges. He also named his picks for City Solicitor (the city's main lawyer) and Assistant City Solicitor. The City Council had to approve all these choices, and they did. DaSilva's City Solicitor, Michael Marcello, knew him from their time together in the House of Representatives.

DaSilva officially became Mayor on January 8, 2019.

Work as Mayor

In September 2019, Mayor DaSilva presented his first city budget. This budget was for $165.8 million. It included a small tax increase to help pay for building the city's new high school. This tax increase would add about $104 to the average homeowner's property tax bill. DaSilva sent his budget to the East Providence City Council for them to review.

However, the City Council voted against the Mayor's budget. In October 2019, the City Council passed their own budget. Mayor DaSilva did not sign it, but it still became the official city budget. He said he did not support it because it cut money from the human resources budget. It also did not increase a tax break for homeowners. DaSilva explained that he respected the City Council, but he could not approve a budget that made cuts to training and hiring. He also wanted a small increase in the homestead tax exemption, which the Council did not approve.

In November 2019, Mayor DaSilva created the Mayor's Council on Veterans' Affairs. This was his first official order as Mayor. He said his goal was to bring together people who care about veterans. He also wanted to include groups that work to improve veterans' lives.

Fake Facebook Profile

In August 2019, Mayor DaSilva warned people about a fake Facebook profile. This fake profile used his name and picture. It asked his real friends to click on a link for "free money." After someone told him about it, the Mayor told the public and the news that it was not his profile. Facebook later removed the fake account.

Personal Life

DaSilva is married to Karina DaSilva. She is an immigrant from the Dominican Republic. They have two sons named Donovan and Dorian. When he became Mayor of East Providence, he retired as a Captain from the Pawtucket Police Department. He also founded the East Providence Youth Soccer Association and was its first president.